Eli Lilly & Co. LLY said Thursday a mid-stage trial of a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis met its main goal for efficacy with similar rates of adverse events between the treatment group and placebo arms. The data was published in the The New England Journal of Medicine. “These data represent the first clinical evidence that stimulating the endogenous PD-1 inhibitory pathway could be an effective approach to treat rheumatologic disease,” Lilly said in a statement. PD-1 refers to programmed cell death protein 1, a checkpoint inhibitory receptor, that is stimulated by peresolimab, a investigational humanized immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody. RA, a form of rheumatologic disease, is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and progressive destruction of joints. The trial showed meaningful results in refractory RA patients, said Lilly, which make up about 21% of the overall RA population. “There remains a crucial unmet need to provide new treatment options for better overall patient care, particularly for refractory and biologic-experienced patients,” said the company. The stock has gained 19.6% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 SPX has gained 8.3%.
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